Help us climb the mountain and save the Elliott State Forest!

I grew up exploring the forest in my backyard, splashing in creeks, climbing trees, and playing imaginary games. Throughout my childhood, we took family hiking and camping trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Access to public lands allowed me and countless others to connect with nature. Those experiences shaped who I am.

Join us in the coming weeks as we explore herbal folklore, stories of the Silvani, with Guido Masé.

As we pass into the seasonal festivities and approach the winter solstice, we are reminded of ritual and tradition. The time honored tradition of storytelling gives gifts of insight, mystery, and allure from a world unknown to us. Since the art and craft of herbalism has strong roots as an oral tradition, we felt it appropriate to share some aural folk tales with you. In the coming weeks we'll release five short videos highlighting a few of Guido Masé’s cherished stories of the Silvani in this mini-series on Herbal Folklore. Guido Masé is a clinical herbalist, storyteller, and author of such books as DIY Bitters.

This is an important time of year for celebrations. Samhain is almost upon us, marking the halfway point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Many are stocking up on organic sweets to pass out to the little ones. And here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’ve been celebrating Fair Trade Month. This annual tradition focuses on raising awareness and building support for fair trade in the United States.

Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer, visits with a group of Fair for Life farmers on this intercropped forest farm with yearround harvestability in three stories of the forest canopy.

Increasing demand for spices acquired from tree barks, such as our beloved cassia (a.k.a. cinnamon) is putting many tree species in peril worldwide. At Mountain Rose Herbs, we are passionate about supporting sustainable harvesting that preserves the life and integrity of the tree, rather than killing it. Our Fair for Life Project farmers in India use methods that are unconventional, harvesting only small sections of the tree bark and then allowing the tree to heal completely before taking more.

We’ve got a fantastic addition to our collection of books that we’d like to share with you: the classic Making Plant Medicine.

Originally published over 15 years ago, Making Plant Medicine has become a preferred reference for learning to make herbal tinctures, teas, syrups, herbal oils, salves, and poultices.

A proud Fair for Life farmer shows off our certified organic nutmeg and mace fruits.

The smiles on the faces of the farmers as I handed them organic cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and clove saplings were ear-to-ear grins. Today, I had the pleasure of hand-delivering the saplings to one of the 60 farms we collaborate with as part of our innovative Fair for Life Project.

You may have heard about the resurgence in returning to diets higher in fat. Ever since learning about this trend, I’ve been experimenting with ways to add fat back into my diet. I especially enjoy the luxury that a boost of fatty goodness can bring to a cold morning.

Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer, helps field workers prepare our certified organic turmeric farmland for replanting.

As part of my most recent trip to the Mountain Rose Herbs Fair For Life Project in southern India, I visited the remote agricultural village of Kollegala, based in the foothills of the Western Ghats. It’s a fertile farming land with a dry growing season and heavy summer rains. The community in this area makes its living primarily from the sales of turmeric (Curcuma longa). The turmeric growers here represent the largest farming group in our innovative Fair for Life Project, and they grow turmeric exclusively for  Mountain Rose Herbs. 

 We have a decadent new addition to our line of certified organic, steam-distilled hydrosols, the luxurious White Rose Hydrosol.

Our White Rose Hydrosol comes to us from artisan distillers in Bulgaria who specialize in cultivating, harvesting, and extracting this delicate flower. With beautiful rosy notes that are soft and delicate, this hydrosol offers a lighter floral scent than our Rose Hydrosol and is an intriguing scent to experiment with. You can enhance the uplifting floral aroma by blending with other hydrosols like rose geranium, ylang ylang, or neroli. Adding earthy essential oils such as vetiver or oakwood will create a rich grounding floral scent. The possibilities are endless!

Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer, in our organic Fair for Life turmeric field post-harvest.

As the Chief Operations Officer for Mountain Rose Herbs, I regularly visit our Fair for Life Project in southern India. Most recently, I traveled to the state of Karnataka to meet our organic farmers and check in on important developments there.